


An Early Gift

by moonbeambucky



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-28
Updated: 2017-12-28
Packaged: 2019-02-22 22:21:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13176423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonbeambucky/pseuds/moonbeambucky
Summary: After reflecting on the last year of your relationship you and Bucky exchange Christmas gifts early





	An Early Gift

**Author's Note:**

> This was posted on tumblr for @buchonians 1K Writing Challenge! My prompt was “I should have told you a long time ago” 
> 
> As I was writing this I realized it was becoming a sequel to "‘Tis the Season You" don’t have to read it first but go ahead and do it anyway ;) 
> 
> Also, one scene was kind of influenced by an episode of ER

Light snow began to cover the ground around the compound. Inside, logs were burning in the fireplace, its warmth extending throughout the beautifully decorated room. The lights on the tall spruce were twinkling, surrounded by an abundance of presents below. Christmas music filled the air as everyone sat around the huge dining table, partaking in the generous feast Tony always managed to cater so deliciously for holidays. It was Christmas Eve and you couldn’t think of anywhere you would rather be than here with your friends. As Tony began what would be a long speech to toast his friends (and also talk about himself in the process), your mind drifted as you reflected on the past.

Things have changed since last Christmas. Only a few days prior you and Bucky had confessed your feelings for each other and officially began dating. You were excited about spending Christmas together, building new memories around the holiday that reminded Bucky about the people in his past. Unfortunately, instead of opening gifts you were opening your weapons locker. Ugly Christmas sweaters were replaced with tactical gear, hot cocoa for protein shakes. Crime didn’t take a holiday, so Christmas morning had the whole team off on a mission.

It wasn’t until the fourth geneticist was abducted that the connection was made to Hydra. The brightest minds in the science field were being taken, no doubt for the purpose of recreating Dr. Erskine’s formula. Intel told you of an active Hydra base north of Vancouver. As you prepared to exit the quinjet Bucky grabbed your hand, telling you to stay safe. You’ve always given each other words of encouragement before a mission, but now those words held extra weight in your heart, as you shared a kiss before departing.

It was too late, the base was empty except for the bodies of two of the missing scientists. Over the next few weeks the team worked harder on trying to find the other scientists and taking preventative measures for the safety of others that may be on Hydra’s radar.

The cold wind rapped against the window pane as you were nestled under the covers with Bucky, his heated skin pressed against yours, enveloping you in his warmth. Your head is nuzzled in the crook of his neck, one arm draped across his firm chest. Shivers went down your spine from the cool touch of Bucky’s metal hand, pulling your bare thigh over his legs as his pressed a tender kiss to your forehead. A content smile settled on his face as you both lay there, spent from the best way he could think of waking up.

Watching the rise and fall of his chest you contemplated if this was the right time to tell Bucky the words you’ve felt in your heart for some time now. The last few months were incredible, you loved him, there was no doubt about that, but in getting to know Bucky you’ve learned that he needs a bit of time and space to process his feelings. You can’t blame him, for everything he’s been through you’re amazed he isn’t as closed down as you would have thought.

You didn’t want to force him. When he was ready to say the words you would say them back. In the meantime you would show him your love through your actions, small gestures, loving touches, and his birthday celebration; a party you’ve been secretly planning for weeks though you’re certain he knows you’re up to something.

The blaring sound of an alarm jolted you both up. Quickly grabbing your clothes from the floor you headed to the common room. The team was gathered there as Tony stood before everyone, enlarging a holographic image of a young man.

“This is Dr. Luis Suarez, geneticist and biologist,” Tony spoke, “and he was just reported missing.”  
“Why wasn’t he on our radar before?” Steve asked.  
“We didn’t expand the search to minors. He’s sixteen, just graduated. Kid’s a genius,” Tony said, the corners of his mouth pulled down into a saddened frown.

Bruce held a tablet, skimming through information about the young doctor. “He was about to receive a grant for his theory on genetic mutations and stem-cell based healing,” he commented.

“So more super soldiers?” Sam asked.  
“Not quite, more like if his theory is correct he could manipulate DNA to protect and repair damaged cells. It makes the casualties of war virtually none,” Bruce replied.

“This isn’t just a theory,” Tony chimed in. “He was successful with his tests on mice. If he tests on humans it means…”

“It means Hydra gets an unstoppable army,” Steve interrupted. “That’s why they took him.”  
“We’re going all in on this one, SHIELD is joining us. He…” Tony stopped to swallow a deep inhale. “He’s just a kid,” he continued, doing his best to cover the cracking of his voice.

You had come to learn that there was more to Tony Stark than he let on, his cocky and sarcastic attitude was a cover for the sensitive, traumatized man within. He cared deeply, too much sometimes. His clouded judgment almost disbanded the Avengers, but he cares nonetheless.

With the help of SHIELD you tracked Dr. Suarez to the Hydra base Omega Point, located in the mountains near Genoa, Italy. It was an all out war fighting the mass of Hydra agents but the doctor was in good hands. Bucky found him in the basement of the bunker. He was hurt, tortured by Hydra to employ his work on human subjects but the young doctor was resilient and did not give in.

“Bucky, get him to the quinjet,” you heard Steve call over the comms.

Bucky and a few SHIELD agents protected the doctor, fighting their way until you saw them reach the jet. You continued to take down enemies in your path as you heard the plane fire up from over the hillside. Agent May came to your aid as you worked together to take down a larger than life Hydra assassin but then you froze in terror.

The explosion. The sound hit you like a brick wall. Your eyes filled with tears as you saw the metal plane, bursting with flames as it was nose diving into the mountains below.

“No!” you screamed, straining every part of your voice.

Running on pure adrenaline alone you fought everyone in your path as you ran towards the fiery crash.

You were focused on getting to Bucky as fast as you could, unaware of the Hydra agents hot on your tail. They were taken out quickly, a beam of force pulling them down and away from you by Agent Johnson, but you were oblivious to everything happening around you. You thought if you could just get to Bucky and get him out of there it would be okay.

Stumbling to the ground as your legs gave out under you, you saw the plane at the bottom of the hill, fire was raging through the broken glass of the windshield, the metal frame was mangled and dented. You forced yourself up again, running quickly down the hill as the heat of the flames licked your face. You held your arm up to shield yourself from the heat as you screamed for Bucky.

You attempted to get closer, calling out his name again. There was no movement, just the raging fire, blazing and burning through the plane. A firm hand gripped your arm, pulling you back to safety. It was Steve, his eyes brim with tears as he gave you a knowing, somber look. His mouth opened to speak the words you didn’t want to hear.

“No! Let me go Steve! Let me go!” you screamed, throwing your fists into his broad chest, tears streaming down your face as you refused to accept the truth. He pulled you close to his body into a tight hug, as he looked upon the crash, tears burning their way out of his eyes. You sobbed hard, wailing as it felt like your eyes would pop out from the sheer force of your strained face.

You sunk to the ground with a thud, landing harshly on your knees as the team began to gather around you and Steve. Some rounded up the remaining Hydra agents while others worked on putting out the fire. You felt the gentle touch of someone’s hand on your shoulder in solidarity but you didn’t bother to look and see who it was. You couldn’t, you were stuck in a trance watching the flames grow higher, feeling lost and empty inside.

The sound of shouting pulled you from your daze. Turning your head you saw a shadowy figure walking over the cliffside. Everyone braced themselves, ready to fight the unknown person, machine gun in tow. It wasn’t until the glow of the moonlight reflected his metal appendage that your face lit up.

Bucky. He was alive.

You got up quickly and ran towards him, tears flying off your face from your sheer velocity. You collided with him, nearly knocking him down with the force of your embrace, crying as you sobbed, “I thought you were dead!”

“Doll I’m okay,” he said, the softness of his voice was something you thought you’d never hear again.  
You pulled back to examine him, touching his bloody, dirt covered face to make sure he was real. “I saw you get on the quinjet.”

“I got off before it took off. Some Hydra asshole was screwing with the plane.”  
“That asshole saved your life!” you laughed as more tears streamed down your face. “Bucky I thought… I thought I lost you,” you cried.  
“I’m here, doll. Not goin’ anywhere,” he said, cupping your cheek.

“I love you Bucky,” you declared, not holding back your feelings.  
“I love you too Y/N,” he said, gently caressing your face, wiping the tears away as he kissed you.

* * *

After dinner everyone relaxed, sinking into the plush couches surrounding the large TV. The fire crackled as it began to die out. You were struggling to keep your eyes open, it was still early but you needed rest so you and Bucky said goodnight to everyone and went back to your room.

You came out of the bathroom to see Bucky wearing a pair of red and white striped pajamas, matching your own set with the exception of his faded blue sweatshirt that you threw over yourself. He sat on the edge of the bed wearing the antler headband you had begged him to so you could take a picture.

“You look adorable,” you laughed, snapping a picture with your phone. He bashfully looked away, blushing.   
“Hey get outta my sweatshirt! I thought we’re supposed to be matching,” he said.  
“Nooo I’m cold,” you playfully whined, sitting next to him. “Besides I like it, it’s comfy and it smells like you.”  
“Dork,” he said, taking the headband off and putting it on you.

You adjusted it for comfort. “Looks cuter on you doll,” he said, flashing a bright smile.   
You smiled back, leaning forward to kiss his soft lips.

“Hey Y/N I know we’re doing presents tomorrow but I really wanted to give you something tonight,” he said.

You sat up with excitement as Bucky pulled out two boxes. Handing the first to you he said, “Okay these aren’t really a gift but I knew you’d want them.”

You undid the string of the plain white box, the aroma of fresh baked cookies hit as soon as you opened the flap, seeing chocolate chip cookies from your favorite bakery in town.

“I was gonna pick ‘em up last week but figured that would just be mean, you were in enough pain with that stomach virus.”

You smiled, thanking him as you set the cookies aside. Bucky handed you another box, this one heavier than the first. You undid the festive wrapping and your jaw dropped. It was Bucky’s journal.

“Bucky this is really personal…” you began to say.

“I know Y/N but I have no secrets with you. You’ve been there for me and even when I can’t say the right thing, you know how I am… it takes some time to clear things up, but it’s all here. Everything, my thoughts, good and bad and I want you to know how much you mean to me.”

Bucky encourages you to open the journal, with a few pages tabbed. You flip to the first tab, an entry from the day you joined the team, glancing over his first impression of you and several sentences about your smile lighting up the room.

The next is a photo of you standing together with Steve, Wanda & Sam beside you. It was taken after a successful mission in South Africa. On the opposite page was scribbled handwriting underlining the phrase, “Tell her how you feel.”

As Bucky spoke you continued flipping through the pages, seeing more photos together and mementos from your dates.

“Sometimes I feel good and other times…” he said, running his hands through his hair, “Not so much, but you never tried to fix me. You never told me how I should be, you just love me for who I am and that’s just one of the many reasons I love you.”

“I love you too Bucky,” you unexpectedly cried, overcome with emotion.

He wrapped his arms around you, placing a sweet kiss to your lips before resting his chin on your head as he held you close, rubbing your back. 

You sniffled, wiping your tears away, “I actually have something for you too,” you said.  
“Really? You’re not just sayin’ that ‘cause I gave you a present tonight?” he joked.

Getting up you went to your dresser, taking out a gift that was hidden under your socks. You stood in front of the bed, nervously biting your lip as you watched Bucky unwrap it. The small white frame confused him as he was expecting a photo of the both of you.

He took a closer look at the dark picture in the frame, his eyes focusing on the grey and white image and recognizing it as a sonogram. His eyes widened at the text above, seeing your name.

“Y/N is this…” he said, looking up at you as his eyes went wide.  
“ **I should have told you a long time ago** …” you started.  
“So… you didn’t have a stomach virus?” he said, his mind thinking back to the times he found you hunched over the toilet, assuming you had eaten something bad.

You laughed, shaking your head back and forth. Your lips were pulled into a tight, nervous smile as you were gauging his full reaction.

“We’re gonna have a baby?” he hesitantly asked.  
“In about seven months, yeah,” you replied.

Bucky stood up, lifting you up in a hug and twirling you around. He quickly planted you back on your feet, “Oh, shit Y/N are you okay? Was that too much?” he nervously asked. “I don’t want to hurt the baby.”

“So you’re happy?” you questioned.  
“Of course I’m happy! I can’t believe it. This is the best gift I could ever get,” he said.

Bucky sat on the bed again, grabbing the frame and looking at the sonogram. “The baby… so small,” he said, unable to fully concentrate as a wide grin spread across his face.  
“Yeah, it’s like a little bean,” you added.

Bucky’s hands moved to your hips, lightly grabbing the fabric of his sweatshirt. He looked up to meet your gaze, wordlessly asking permission to lift your shirt, waiting until you nodded in response. He exposed your stomach, his hands, both warm and cool on your skin, sending a shiver down your spine.

“Hi little bean. I can’t wait to meet you,” he spoke to your belly, placing a sweet kiss on your skin.

Bucky pulled you down to sit beside him, wrapping his arm around your shoulders.

“I love you Y/N,” he said, capturing your lips in a tender kiss.  
“I love you too,” you replied, kissing him back.

“Bucky?”  
He hummed in response.  
“Can I have my cookies now?” you laughed.  
Bucky exhaled with laughter, “Yeah doll, you can have whatever you want.”


End file.
